Dr. Jennifer Whitfield, an instructional professor in the Department of Mathematics, has received the most prestigious faculty honor conferred by Texas A&M University: the 2025 Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence Award for those who exemplify dedication and excellence in the classroom.
Established by former Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates, the award recognizes the essential role of teaching at a major research university. Each year, two professors receive the honor at Texas A&M, which includes a $25,000 stipend and the title “Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence” in perpetuity.
“While this recognition is awarded to me individually, it truly belongs to the numerous colleagues who have supported and collaborated with me along the way,” Whitfield said. “Their contributions and encouragement have been invaluable to my success. This award says a lot about not only the work that I’ve done, but about the people that surround me and allow me to do that.”
Whitfield becomes the second recipient from the Department of Mathematics and the 19th current or former faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences to be honored with the award since its inception in 2003. This year, she is joined by Dr. Meg Penrose, a professor at the Texas A&M University School of Law, in receiving this distinction. Both were formally recognized during the invitation-only Academic Awards Ceremony held April 25 in the Bethancourt Ballroom of the Memorial Student Center.
“Dr. Whitfield's wholehearted commitment to her students is absolutely inspiring,” said Dr. Peter Howard, head of the Department of Mathematics. “She gets to know each of them well, their backgrounds and learning styles, and uses this knowledge to foster an innovative classroom environment that optimizes student success."
A Passion For Teaching And Commitment To Student Success
Whitfield joined the Department of Mathematics in 2001 as a senior lecturer after earning a Master of Science in mathematics from Texas A&M in 2000. She received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus in mathematics education from Texas A&M in 2017. Prior to joining the faculty, Whitfield was a mathematics teacher at both A&M Consolidated and Bryan High Schools.
“Teaching has always been my passion,” Whitfield said. “I love working with students and inspiring them to exceed their own expectations. I am particularly happy when students who do not look forward to taking a math class look forward to attending my classes.”
During her time at Texas A&M, Whitfield has made a lasting impact on students both in the classroom and beyond. From 2011 to 2018, she served as the director of aggieTEACH, a secondary math and science teacher certification program that works closely with the College of Education and Human Development.
“aggieTEACH was an opportunity to work with students who wanted to be high school math or science teachers, which aligned exactly with my background,” Whitfield said. “The experiences and interactions I had with students in aggieTEACH were invaluable and are what inspired me to pursue my Ph.D.”
Additionally, Whitfield played a lead role in redesigning the format and curriculum of the department’s highest enrollment gateway courses, MATH 140 and MATH 142, to better equip students for success. For both courses, she helped lead the effort for Open Education Resources, which are freely accessible and openly licensed educational materials that can be used, shared and modified by instructors, students and self-learners.
“I collaborated with an exceptional team of colleagues to enhance the student learning experience in our business math sequence,” Whitfield said. “The work the authors did to create the Open Education Resources and course materials was unprecedented and much of the success of the project is because of their efforts and dedication. I was grateful to lead such a talented team.”
A Dedicated Advocate For Students, Faculty And STEM Education
Whitfield has held multiple administrative positions, including the mathematics department assistant head for academic track faculty affairs from 2017 to 2022. After the legacy Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science and Geosciences merged in 2022, she served as associate dean for faculty success in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“In her administrative roles at the department, college and now university levels, Dr. Whitfield has been a strong and effective advocate for a broad range of faculty members at Texas A&M,” Howard said. “The devotion and energy with which she's carried out these roles have earned her the respect of colleagues across the university.”
In August 2024, she joined the Math Learning Center as assistant provost, where she supports students from all majors enrolled in math courses.
“Working at the Math Learning Center puts me right back where my heart is really happy,” Whitfield said. “In this role, I have a broader reach and can impact more students. Our goal is to support their success in math courses, no matter which section they are enrolled in."
Outside of her administrative role, Whitfield remains actively involved in research focused on STEM teacher preparation. Her Rural Teacher Persistence and Retention project explores how teacher education programs nationwide are addressing teaching in rural areas.
"My research explores whether we're having meaningful conversations in teacher education programs about teaching STEM in rural settings," she said, "and whether we're approaching teacher training with a deficit mindset or recognizing the strengths and opportunities that rural communities offer."
Lessons From A Box Of Crayons: Supporting Every Student’s Journey
Whitfield has also earned the following prestigious teaching awards:
- The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards
- University-Level Award for Teaching
- College-Level Award for Teaching
- University Professorship for Undergraduate Teaching ExcellenceTexas A&M Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture’s Distinguished Ph.D. Honor Graduate Award
- Texas A&M Chancellor’s Academy of Teacher Educators Award
- John E. Trott Jr. Award in Student Recruiting
- Texas A&M University System Student Led Award for Teaching Excellence
- Texas A&M Fish Camp Namesake
“One of my favorite quotes says that we can learn a lot from crayons,” she said. “Some are pretty and bright while others are dull. Some are broken and others are whole, but all have found a way to belong in the same box. I share that with my students to remind them that while we are all different and perform at different levels, we are in this together. It’s my job to help them be successful, whatever that may look like for them.”
Learn more about faculty excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences.